Method of applying covers to commodity packed trays



June 30. 1964 n c. ELLINGER 3,138,905

METHOD OF APPLYING COVERS T0 COMMODITY PACKED TRAYS Filed July 20, 19614 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

DON C. ELLINGER ATTORNEYS.

June 30, 1964 D. c. ELLINGER 3,138,905

METHOD OF APPLYING COVERS T0 COMMODITY PACKED TRAYS Filed July 20. 19614 Sheets-Sheet 2 BY%M ATTORNEYS.

June 30, 1964 D. c. ELLINGER 3,133,905

METHOD OF APPLYING COVERS TO COMMODITY PACKED TRAYS Filed July 20, 19614 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

DON G. ELLINGER ATTOR NEYS J n 30. 1964 D. C. ELLINGER 3,133,905

METHOD OF APPLYING COVERS TO COMMODITY PACKED TRAYS Filed July 20, 19614 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

DON C. ELLINGER ATTORNEYS- United States Patent Office 3,138,9h5Patented June 30, 19fi4 3,138,905 NEH-I011) F APPLYING CGVERS T0COMMQDITY PACKED TRAYS Don C. Ellinger, Glendale, Wis, assignor toDowning Box Company, Milwaukee, Win, a corporation of Wisconsin FiledJuly 20, 1961, Ser. No. 125,586 Claims. (Cl. 53-47) This inventionrelates to improvements in the method of applying covers to commoditypacked trays.

Trays or box-like containers, customarily formed of corrugated board,fiberboard, and like fibrous materials, are in common usage for thepacking and shipping of commodities or products of various types. It iscustomary for the packer or shipper to have a succession of suchcommodity packed trays or containers, in open or uncovered condition,progress forwardly along a production line and it is necessary, tocomplete the same for storage or shipment, to apply tight fitting coversthereto. Each cover is customarily folded from scored and die-cut,corrugated, or fiberboard sheet material and has down-turned end andside walls and securing die-cut flaps, the latter having portions ofcertain of the down-turned walls stapled or otherwise secured thereto tohold the cover in its finally formed condition. Previously it was thepractice to manually fold and hand stitch the cover wall flanges andflaps, and the operators would find it expedient to form the coversloose and sloppy for easy application to the trays or containers, whichwas objectionable. Furthermore, the hand manipulations of folding andstitching the covers was time-com suming and retarded the progress ofthe commodity filled and cover applied containers through the productionline.

With the foregoing in mind, it is the primary object of the presentinvention to provide a method of applying covers to commodity packedtrays which eliminates the objections above mentioned and which involvesa practical, expeditious, production line method of automaticallyfolding, gluing, and applying a cover to each commodity packed tray orcontainer progressing along a production line, and which, furthermore,insures a quickly formed and applied, well fitting cover.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method of applyingcovers to commodity packed trays wherein each tray in a succession ofthe same has its open face projected into engagement with the surface ofa cover blank and moves the latter with it, and during the movementbeing folded, formed and secured and telescoped onto the open end of thetray or container.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method of applyingcovers to commodity packed trays adaptable to production lines andwherein each packed tray is moved into contact with a cover formingmember which is shaped, secured and mounted on the packed tray andejected onto an outgoing conveyor for delivery to a collection station.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method of applyingcovers to commodity packed trays wherein each tray in a succession oftrays is mounted on and moved by a platen which actuates a cover feedingmechanism.

- A further object of the invention is to provide a method of applyingcovers to commodity packed trays which is automatic and expeditious andwhich is well adapted for the purposes described.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of theimproved method of applying covers to commodity packed trays, includingall of the steps thereof, as set forth in the claims, and allequivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numeralsindicate the same parts in all of the views: FIG. 1 is a diagrammaticside view illustrating the initial step in the application of a cover toone of a succession of commodity packed trays or containers; 1212K? 2 isa diagrammatic end View of the showing in FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic sideview illustrating the step in the method after the packed tray has beenprojected into engagement with a cover forming blank and the die' cutcorner flaps of the cover are projected downwardly;

PEG. 4 is a similar diagrammatic View at right angles to the showing inFIG. 3, showing the step of applying an adhesive to the outer faces ofthe down-turned die-cut corner flaps of the cover;

FlG. 5 is a diagrammatic side view showing the tray and superimposedcover projected beyond the position of PEG. 4 into contact withinstrumentalities which fold and secure the wall forming flaps of thecover;

FIG. 6 is a similar diagrammatic view at ri ht angles to the showing atFIG. 5, illustrating the down folding and securement of the cover flaps;

PEG. 7 is a view showing the fully projected position of the tray withthe formed and applied cover thereon engaged by an instrumentality toeject the completed package onto an outgoing conveyor equipped withpressure devices reacting on the flaps of the cover to hold the samesecurely in folded position while the adhesive sets;

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic View at right angles to the showing in FIG. 7,with the platen retracted and having thereon another tray ready to bebrought into engagement with a cover blank to be projected thereover.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a scored and die-cut cover blank such as issuperimposed on a commodity packed tray and folded and secured thereonto complete the package; and

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a tray and cover, the latterhaving been formed and folded from the blank shown in FIG. 9 and whichin the finished package is telescoped onto the tray.

There is illustrated in FIG. 10 a typical tray or container of the typewhich is adapted to be packed with a commodity and advanced in uncoveredform to a station for the application of a cover thereto. In said viewthe tray or container is generally indicated by the numeral 15 and theformed and secured cover, to be associated therewith, is indicatedgenerally by the numeral 16. Said cover 16 is, however, formed from aflat scored and die-cut blank shown in FIG. 9, the tray 15 and the cover1'16 preferably being formed of corrugated fiberboard or like material.

The fiat cover blank 16 includes a rectangular midsection 17 and alongthe opposite longitudinal margins thereof are foldable side wall flanges18 separated from the margins of the mid-section 17 by scored lines 1%.Also at the ends of the mid-section 17 are end wall forming flanges 20which fold downwardly from the end margins of the mid-section 17 onscored lines 21. At the extremities of the end wall flanges 20 andseparated therefrom by scored lines 22 are corner flaps 23 which areseparated from the ends of the side wall flanges 18 by die-cut slots 24.

As will appear hereinafter, according to the present method, thefinished cover 16 of FIG. 10 is formed from the flat blank of FIG. 9 byfolding the die-cut corner flaps 23 and the side wall flanges 18 and theend wall flanges 20 downwardly at right angles to the plane of themid-section 17 of the cover. The corner flaps 23, which assume positionsat right angles to the plane of the cover mid-section 17, are alsofolded at right angles to the end wall flanges 20 which carry the sameand are overlapped by the end portions of the side wall flanges 18.Securing means such as an adhesive 25 is applied to the outermost facesof the corner flaps 23 and the same are caused to adhere to theoverlapping portions of the side walls 18, whereby the cover 16 ismaintained in the folded and formed condition shown in FIG. whichpermits it to be snugly telescoped over the tray or container to thusprovide a closure therefor.

In carrying out the method of the present invention a succession ofpacked and uncovered trays 15, 15a, 15b, 150, etc. are advanced insingle file by a gravity conveyor 26 and motor driven incoming conveyor26' toward a station which, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 8 inclusive, includesa pneumatic cylinder 27 whose piston 28 is adapted to be projected atright angles to the path of travel of the trays 15, 15a, 15b, 150, etc.,on the conveyor 26'. The outer end of the projectable piston 28 carriesa platen 29 which, in the retracted position of the pneumatic cylinder27 assumes a position on a level with the conveyor 26' so that, duringthe method procedure the forwardmost tray 15 in the advancing successionis projected onto the surface of the piston carried platen 29 against atray stop 38. The tray 15a next in line is engaged by a solenoidoperated stop 32.

It will also be observed from FIG. 2 that the cover forming and applyingstation includes a magazine holding in superimposed relation a pluralityof the flat cover forming blanks 16. The holding means for the stack ofcover blanks 16, is positioned above the lowered position of the platen29 and laterally thereof. Installed in the magazine is a pneumaticallyoperated kicker bar 33 which is electrically controlled and timed so asto project the lowermost cover blank 16 from the stack to a positionspacedly over the forward tray 15 on the platen 29 of the retractedpneumatic cylinder 27, against a cover stop 31 which so locates theprojected cover blank that the mid-section 17 thereof will coincide withthe open top of the tray 15 on the platen 29 with the various wallforming flanges and flaps 18, 20 and 23 projecting horizontally beyondthe margins of the tray 15 therebelow. The cover blanks 16 when engagedby the kicker bar 33 are advanced by motor driven feed rollers 34.

The arrangement of the forward tray 15 on the platen 29 of the retractedpiston 28 in spaced relation to a projected cover blank 16 thereabove isillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Thereafter the pneumatic cylinder 27 isoperated so as to project the piston 28 and the tray 15 carried by theplaten 29 into contact and registration with the mid-portion 17 of theflat cover blank 16 thereabove and a slight additional projection of thepneumatic cylinder piston will cause the die-cut corner flaps 23 toengage flap-folding shoes which cause said corner flaps 23 to break orfold downwardly along their scored lines 22. Immediately beyond saidshoes 23 the outer faces of said folded corner flaps 23 are engaged byglue-applying guns 36 which are actuated by electrically controlledmeans so that the application of glue or adhesive to said flaps 23 willoccur at the proper time. The piston 28 then projects the tray 16 beyondthe position of FIGS. 3 and 4 and, as is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, theends walls 20 and side walls 18 of the cover blank 16 are engaged bywall-folding shoes 37, one pair of shoes 37 being engageable with theend wall flanges of the cover and the other pair of shoes 37, at rightangles to the first-mentioned pair of shoes 37, being engageable withthe side wall flanges 18. The side wall and end wall flanges 18 and 20are caused to fold along their scored lines 19 and 21 respectively. Itis, of course, evident that the corner flaps 23 are folded and haveadhesive applied thereto slightly before the folding of the Wall-formingflanges 18 and 20. This insures the correct positioning of the flaps 23interiorly of the overlapping ends of the side wall flanges 18. Theconstricted portions of the various shoes 37, between which the tray 15with the applied cover 16 passes during further projection of the piston28, compresses the down-folded side and end walls of the cover toinitiate setting of the adhesive on the corner flaps 23 and to form aneat, tight-fitting cover enclosing the tray 15 and its contents.

When the piston 28 reaches the limit of its projection, apneumatically-operated piston 38 is automatically operated to engage thecompleted and covered package and eject it onto an outgoing conveyor 39,as shown in FIG. 7. This outgoing conveyor is provided with side plates40 which maintain pressure on the packed container with its appliedcover so as to complete the setting of the adhesive on the corner flaps23. As soon as the ejection of a completed package from the elevatedplaten 29 is completed, the piston 28 of the hydraulic cylinder 27 isretracted to the postion of FIGS. 1 and 8. During descent or retractionof the piston 28, the platen will engage and operate a switch whichcontrols operation of the cover blank kicker bar 33 so as to projectanother ilat cover blank into the position of FIGS. 1 and 2. When theplaten reaches its lowered position it trips a switch to release thesolenoid-operated stop 32 and permit actuation of the motor-drivenincoming conveyor 26 which advances the forwardmost tray onto theretracted platen 29 of the piston 28. When said tray is correctlypositioned on the retracted platen 29 against the tray stop 30, thesequence of operations is again repeated, and the cycle continues aslong as there are trays on the conveyors 26 and 26' and cover blanks inthe magazine to be applied thereto.

While certain of the mechanisms have been described as beingpneumatically and electrically operated and controlled, this is merelyby way of example and other instrumentality operating means may be usedsuch as hydraulic means or the like. Also it should be understood thatonly relative projection as between the tray and cover and theinstrumentalities which operates on the cover are required. Instead ofmoving the tray and cover relative to the various cover folding andapplying instumentalities, the latter could be moved relative to astationary tray or container.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the presentinvention provides a commercially practical expeditious method offolding and applying covers to commodity packed trays or containerswhich is well suited for production line operations and which insuresthe formation and application of covers to the containers which will beneat and snug fitting.

Various changes and modifications may be made in the method and itssteps, without departing from the spirit of invention, and such changesare contemplated as may come within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as the invention is:

1. The method of applying a cover to a commodity packed tray to providea unitary package which comprises, advancing the tray in a linear pathto a receiving station, projecting a flat cover blank provided with amid portion and laterally projecting, foldable wall flanges and cornerflaps over the open side of the tray, relatively moving the tray andcover blank in a direction perpendicular to the original path of travelof the tray so as to cause the cover blank to be supported by the wallssurrounding the open end of the tray, folding the corner flaps at rightangles to the plane of the mid portion of the cover blank, thereafterfolding the wall flanges of the cover blank at right angles to the midportion of the latter and in the manner so that the end portions ofcertain of said flanges overlap said corner flaps, securing together thelapping portions of said wall flanges and the corner flaps to therebyprovide a flanged cover tightly telescopically surrounding theperipheral portion of the open end of the tray, and finally projectingthe tray with its applied cover as a unit from said station.

2. The method of applying a cover to a commodity packed tray to providea complete unitary package which comprises, advancing the tray in alinear path to a receiving station, projecting a flat cover blankprovided with a mild portion and laterally projecting, foldable wallflanges and corner flaps over the open side of the tray, relativelymoving the tray and cover blank in a direction transverse to theoriginal path of travel of the tray so as to cause the cover blank to besupported only by the walls surrounding the open end of the tray,folding the corner flaps at right angles to the plane of the mid portionof the cover blank, applying an adhesive to face portions of said foldedcorner flaps, thereafter folding the Wall flanges of the cover blank atright angles to the mid portion of the latter and in the manner so thatthe end portions of certain of said flanges overlap said corner flapsand are engaged by the adhesive thereon, whereby there is provided aflanged cover tightly telescopically surrounding the peripheral portionof the open end of the tray, and finally projecting the packed tray andapplied and formed cover as a unit from said station.

3. The continuous method of applying covers to a series of commoditypacked trays which comprises, advancing the forward tray in the seriesand registering its open end with the mid portion of a flat cover blankhaving laterally projecting, foldable wall flanges and corner flaps,which cover blank was projected over said tray, then moving the tray atright angles to its previous line of movement so as to engage it withthe mid portion of the cover blank to thereby carry the cover blank withthe tray during continued movement of the latter, then, during the jointmovement of the cover blank and supported tray, engaging the flanges andflaps of the cover blank with flange and flap folding and adhesiveapplying de* vices projecting into the path of movement of the traywhereby said flanges and flaps are folded and secured together intelescopic relation to the peripheral portion of the tray at rightangles to the plane of the mid portion of the cover, next projecting thetray with its applied cover as a unit onto an outgoing conveyor andapplying pressure to the flanges and flap of the cover duringprogression of the cover and tray along said outgoing conveyor, and thenrepeating the cycle of operations with respect to each forwardmost trayin the series.

4. The method of automatically applying and securing a cover to acommodity packed tray to produce a unitary package which comprises,advancing the tray to a receiving station, projecting a flat cover blankprovided with a mid portion and laterally projecting, foldable wallflanges and corner flaps spacedly over the open side of the packed tray,moving the tray upwardly into contact with the mid portion of the coverblank whereby the cover blank is supported by the walls surrounding theopen end of the tray, continuing the movement of the tray and the coverblank thereon and folding the corner flaps at right angles to the planeof the mid portion of the cover blank and applying an adhesive to faceportions of said folded corner flaps during movement of the tray andapplied cover blank, thereafter, while the movement of the tray andcover blank continues, folding the wall flanges of the cover blank atright angles to the mid portion of the latter and in a manner so thatthe end portions of certain of said flanges overlap said corner flapsand are engaged by the adhesive thereon, whereby there is provided aflanged cover tightly telescopically surrounding the peripheral portionof the open end of the tray and closing the latter, and finallyprojecting the tray and its applied cover as a unit from said station.

5. The method of automatically applying and securing a cover to acommodity packed tray to produce a unitary package which comprises,advancing the tray to a receiving station, projecting a flat cover blankprovided with a mid portion and laterally projecting, foldable Wallflange and corner flaps spacedly over the open side of the packed tray,moving the tray at right angles to its previous line of movement intocontact with the mid portion of the cover blank whereby the cover blankis supported by the walls surrounding the open end of the tray,continuing the movement of the tray and the cover blank thereon andfolding the corner flaps at right angles to the plane of the mid portionof the cover blank and applying an adhesive to face portions of saidfolded corner flaps during movement of the tray and applied cover blankthereafter, while the movement of the tray and cover blank continues,and folding the Wall flanges of the cover blank at right angles to themid portion of the latter and in a manner so that the end portions ofcertain of said flanges overlap said corner flaps and are engaged by theadhesive thereon, whereby there is provided a flanged cover tightlytelescopically surrounding the peripheral portion of the open end of thetray and closing the latter.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,330,466 Bergstein Sept. 28, 1943 2,584,925 Rideout Feb. 5, 19522,865,263 Strand Dec. 23, 1953 2,932,927 Segerstrom et a1. Apr. 19, 19602,932,929 Fahrenbach et a1 Apr. 19, 1960

1. THE METHOD OF APPLYING A COVER TO A COMMODITY PACKED TRAY TO PROVIDEA UNITARY PACKAGE WHICH COMPRISES, ADVANCING THE TRAY IN A LINEAR PATHTO A RECEIVING STATION, PROJECTING A FLAT COVER BLANK PROVIDED WITH AMID PORTION AND LATERALLY PROJECTING, FOLDABLE WALL FLANGES AND CORNERFLAPS OVER THE OPEN SIDE OF THE TRAY, RELATIVELY MOVING THE TRAY ANDCOVER BLANK IN A DIRECTION PERPENDICULAR TO THE ORIGINAL PATH OF TRAVELOF THE TRAY SO AS TO CAUSE THE COVER BLANK TO BE SUPPORTED BY THE WALLSSURROUNDING THE OPEN END OF THE TRAY, FOLDING THE CORNER FLAPS AT RIGHTANGLES TO THE PLANE OF THE MID PORTION OF THE COVER BLANK, THEREAFTERFOLDING THE WALL FLANGES OF THE COVER BLANK AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE MIDPORTION OF THE LATTER IN THE MANNER SO THAT THE END PORTIONS OF CERTAINOF SAID FLANGES OVERLAP SAID CORNER FLAPS, SECURING TOGETHER THE LAPPINGPORTIONS OF SAID WALL FLANGES AND THE CORNER FLAPS TO THEREBY PROVIDE AFLANGED COVER TIGHTLY TELESCOPICALLY SURROUNDING THE PERIPHERAL PORTIONOF THE OPEN END OF THE TRAY, AND FINALLY PROJECTING THE TRAY WITH ITSAPPLIED COVER AS A UNIT FROM SAID STATION.